SATA group (that includes the international Azores Airlines) transported 2.4 million passengers in 2023, which represented “an increase of 40% compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 24.8% compared to 2022”.
“This significant increase in the number of passengers carried in 2023 reflects not only the renewed confidence in the airlines of the SATA group, but also the fundamental importance of collective work, which has allowed interactions with passengers, from booking to disembarkation, to contribute to a positive experience with SATA Air Açores and Azores Airlines,” said the chairwoman of the board of directors, Teresa Gonçalves, quoted in a press release.
SATA Air Açores was responsible for transporting 952,000 passengers (39.7%), while Azores Airlines transported around 1.4 million passengers (60.3%).


The overall occupancy rate of flights throughout the year “showed a positive evolution, representing 79.1% in 2023, an increase of 1.3 percentage points (p.p.) compared to 2019 and 5.6 p.p. compared to last year”.
The airlines’ regularity index “also recorded a positive performance, above 95%, with only 4.5% of flights canceled (the majority due to weather conditions adverse to the operation), compared to a total of 28,437 flights carried out”.
Azores Airlines counted 362,000 more passengers than in 2022 (33.4%).
The company achieved an overall occupancy rate of 82.8% throughout the year, 7.9 percentage points more than in 2022, and a regularity rate “above 97%, with only 2.7% of flights canceled”.
The North American routes operated by Azores Airlines (Boston, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Oakland) “showed growth of around 54.2%” compared to 2022, representing “around 23% of the total passengers carried by the airline”.
European routes (excluding Portugal) also “saw a significant increase in the number of passengers carried”, 87% more than in the previous year, but still representing “a small weight in the total number of passengers carried by the company (around 5%)”.
On domestic routes (mainland Portugal and Madeira), Azores Airlines recorded a 29% increase in passengers carried.
SATA Air Açores carried 114,000 more passengers (13.7%) than in 2022.
The regional airline operated 18,737 flights (8.2% more than in 2022), “which represented an increase in supply of 1,423 more flights”.
The occupancy rate for SATA Air Açores flights in 2023 was 74.1% (2.3 percentage points more than in 2022), and the regularity rate was “above 94.9%”. According to SATA, of the 5.1% of flights canceled, the majority were due to “adverse weather conditions”.

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)